Wing-tip vortices control

Claim 2

In a wing of finite span subject to lift or thrust in a fluid as a result of difference in fluid pressure on one side thereof relative to that on the opposite side and having fluid disturbances at the tip of said wing caused by a rush flow of said fluid from the side of higher pressure to the side of lower pressure, and means for producing fluid flow along a curvilinear surface of said tip in a selected direction at an intensity sufficient for materially reducing said disturbances.

Claim 3

The wing of claim 1 wherein said disturbances are vortices, said rush flow being a vortex flow, said means being oriented for producing circulatory flow substantially in a direction opposite to that of said vortex flow.

Claim 4

The wing of claim 2 wherein said means comprises a fluid jet and includes means for discharging said fluid jet substantially tangential along said tip directed from said lower pressure side toward said higher pressure side.

Claim 5

The wing of claim 3 wherein said vortices vary in intensity and including means for altering the momentum of said fluid jets in accordance with the variation in said intensity.

Claim 6

The wing of claim 3 wherein said means comprises a transverse blower mounted at said tip and rotatable in a direction opposite that of said vortex flow for drawing fluid from said higher pressure side of said tip and discharging said fluid from said lower pressure side toward said higher pressure side.

Claim 7

The wing of claim 3 including an additional jet for keeping said fluid jet tangential along the contour of said tip.

Claim 8

In a wing of finite span subject to lift or thrust in a fluid as a result of difference in fluid pressure on one side thereof relative to that on the opposite side and having fluid disturbances at the tip of said wing caused by a rush flow of said fluid from the side of higher pressure to the side of lower pressure, jet means for discharging a fluid jet in a selected direction at an intensity sufficient for materially reducing said disturbances, wherein said disturbances are vortices and said fluid jet is oriented for producing flow opposite to that of said rush flow, said jet means comprising a tangential jet means for blowing said fluid jet substantially tangentially along said tip directed from said lower pressure side toward said higher pressure side, wherein the chordwise pressure distribution on said wing is nonuniform and said tangential jet means comprises a plurality of tangential fluid jets, and including means for controlling said fluid jets so that they have momentum varying in magnitude in the chordwise direction generally in direct proportion to the chordwise distribution of said vortices.

Claim 9

In a wing of finite span subject to lift or thrust in a fluid as a result of difference in fluid pressure on one side thereof relative to that on the opposite side and having fluid disturbances at the tip of said wing caused by a rush flow of said fluid from the side of higher pressure to the side of lower pressure, jet means for discharging a fluid jet in a selected direction at an intensity sufficient for materially reducing said disturbances, wherein said disturbances are vortices and said fluid jet is oriented for producing flow opposite to that of said rush flow, said jet means comprising a tangential jet means for blowing said fluid jet substantially tangentially along said tip directed from said lower pressure side toward said higher pressure side, wherein the chordwise pressure distribution on said wing is nonuniform and said tangential jet means comprises a plurality of tangential fluid jets, and including means for controlling said fluid jets so that they have momentum varying in magnitude in the chordwise direction generally in direct proportion to the chordwise distribution of said vortices.

Claim 10

The wing of claim 7 wherein the tangential fluid jet with the largest tangential mass flow is located at the position of peak pressure.

Claim 11

The wing of claim 1 wherein said means comprises an axial rotatable member mounted on said tip and forming the end portion thereof, the axis of rotation of said rotatable member being generally in the direction of the axis of said vortices, and means for rotating said rotatable member in the direction opposite to that of said vortices for causing the fluid adjacent thereto to rotate simultaneously therewith for creating a circulatory flow along said tip for counterbalancing said vortices.

Claim 12

The wing of claim 9 including sensing means for sensing the intensity of said vortices, and regulating means for controlling the rotational speed of said rotatable member in accordance with said intensity as sensed by said sensing means.

Claim 13

The wing of claim 3 wherein said means comprises a row of chordwise tangential fluid jets in said wing tip along the lower pressure side and pointing toward said higher pressure side of said wing.

Claim 14

The wing of claim 11 wherein said tangential jets vary in sizes from the position of peak pressure toward either end of said wing chord.

Claim 15

The wing of claim 11 wherein said tangential jets vary in fluid mass flow rate from the position of peak pressure toward either end of said chord.

Claim 16

The wing of claim 11 wherein said tangential jets form a continuous jet slot along said wing tip, said slot varying in width from the position of peak pressure toward either end of said chord.

Claim 17

In a human or cargo transportation vehicle of the type relatively movable in a fluid medium at a speed sufficiently high to cause the generation of a trailing vortex about a vortex-producing structural member thereon, a positively pressurized fluid jet means for producing a fluid jet in the vicinity of the source of generation of said vortex and arranged and directed substantially tangential along said structural member for materially reducing said vortex.

Claim 18

In a human or cargo transportation vehicle of the type relatively movable in a fluid medium at a speed sufficiently high to cause the generation of a trailing vortex about a vortex-producing structural member thereon, a positively pressurized fluid jet means for producing a fluid jet in the vicinity of the source of generation of said vortex and arranged and directed substantially tangential along said structural member for materially reducing said vortex.

Claim 19

The vehicle of claim 15 wherein said vehicle is in the form of a boat in water and said vortex-producing member comprises an at least partially submerged propeller.

Claim 20

The vehicle of claim 15 wherein said vehicle is a helicopter and said vortex-producing structural member is a rotor blade thereof, said fluid jet means discharging fluid from the tip of said rotor blade, and means for cyclically altering the intensities of said fluid jet in accordance with the angle of rotation of said blade.

Claim 21

The vehicle of claim 15 wherein said vehicle is a helicopter and said vortex-producing structural member is a rotor blaDe thereof, and said fluid jet means discharges fluid from the tip of said rotor blade.

Claim 22

In a wing of finite span subject to lift or thrust in a fluid as a result of difference in fluid pressure on one side thereof relative to that on the opposite side and having fluid disturbances at an edge of said wing caused by a rush flow of said fluid from the side of higher pressure to the side of lower pressure, and means for producing fluid flow along a surface of said edge in a selected direction and at an intensity sufficient for materially reducing said disturbances.

Claim 23

In a wing of finite span subject to lift or thrust in a fluid as a result of difference in fluid pressure on one side thereof relative to that on the opposite side and having fluid disturbances at an edge of said wing caused by a rush flow of said fluid from the side of higher pressure to the side of lower pressure, and means for producing fluid flow along a surface of said edge in a selected direction and at an intensity sufficient for materially reducing said disturbances.